


Habit

by pyrrhical (anoyo)



Category: Gundam 00
Genre: AU: Modern Setting, M/M, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 02:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13180425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoyo/pseuds/pyrrhical
Summary: In the first few weeks of his Freshman year, Tieria had found a coffee shop that was campus-adjacent, family run, and quiet enough to be where he went in order to study and relax. Unfortunately, he was finding that his comfortable quiet didn’t extend into finals season.





	Habit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lumelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/gifts).



> For Lumelle: I'm so, so insanely sorry this took so long. Also, it was supposed to have been posted days ago, but then I left my computer across the country. Super helpful, I know.
> 
> I HOPE THIS ONE IS SO MUCH BETTER FOR YOU AND ALSO: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
> 
> Beta'd by the marvelous [dirty_diana](http://dirty-diana.dreamwidth.org).

In the first few weeks of his Freshman year, Tieria had found a coffee shop that was campus-adjacent, family run, and quiet enough to be where he went in order to study and relax. Unfortunately, he was finding that his comfortable quiet didn’t extend into finals season.

The first time he walked into the coffee shop to see it flooded with students all staring at books and bemoaning their lives, he almost walked right back out. Fortunately, the nook he always curled up in, separated by a thin divider from the shop’s kitchen, was empty, and he put his bag and books down to get himself coffee and a bagel.

For a few days, that became his routine: make sure his spot was open, take it, grab his drink, and go back to studying. He didn’t need to panic-study all of his material, as he’d created thorough outlines for each of his classes while the semester had progressed, but finals meant that it was time to look back over them so that he could go into his exams fully prepared.

Finals were almost over, Tieria clinging to the idea that in another day, he would have completed his first year of university with barely any struggle. That day when he walked into the shop and someone else was seated at his table. It was a small table, but it was big enough for two people. To date, no one had asked to sit with him, and Tieria had been alone in his corner.

He briefly considered just finding a different table before walking up to the boy -- man? -- sitting in his place. Tieria didn’t particularly want to study with anyone else, but he was willing to admit to himself that he liked routine, and he wanted his spot. Perhaps the boy would leave, or offer to share. He wouldn’t know unless he asked.

Tieria paused next to the boy for a moment, taking a breath. He wasn’t an antisocial person, but he didn’t really have many friends, either. Honestly, he really only had friendly acquaintances, but he wasn’t disappointed in that. 

It did mean, however, that he wasn’t precisely sure how to politely ask the boy to vacate or share, without giving him too much information about just how anal-retentive Tieria really was.

A longer glance showed him that the boy was studying calculus -- Tieria recognized the materials from the calculus 3 course he had tested out of -- and that he didn’t seem to be struggling overmuch. It also showed him that the boy had made a small miscalculation in one of his problem sets.

“Excuse me,” Tieria said, stepping forward a little and into the boy’s peripheral vision.

The boy looked up and tucked a strand of long-ish hair behind his ear. “Yeah?” he asked, a questioning eyebrow raised.

“I couldn’t help but notice you left out a digit,” Tieria said, gesturing to the boy’s paper. “Do you mind if I point it out?”

“Not at all,” the boy said, raising his eyebrows and leaning back. 

Tieria leaned forward, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag so that it wouldn’t fall into the way, then ran his finger down the careful lines of the calculation, stopping on the miscalculation. “I think you may have left out the four, here.”

The boy looked through his numbers, then grinned. “Yeah, looks like I did. That would’ve fucked up my conclusion, for sure.” He looked up at Tieria. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Tieria said, shrugging.

The boy chuckled. “Problem,” he repeated, grinning.

The pun resonated for a moment, then Tieria rolled his eyes. “Unintentional.” He paused, then cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I join you? The shop is pretty packed.”

“Go for it,” the boy said, shoving his bag and one of his books onto the ground next to his chair, then shifting his study materials so that the opposite half of the table was free. “I’m Neil, by the way,” he said, putting out his hand as Tieria moved to sit down.

“Tieria,” he responded, shaking Neil’s hand. He dropped his things to the other side of his chair, then pulled out his o-chem book and notes. He sat them on the table, lining them up how he liked them, then stood back up to get his usual coffee and snack. He paused before he walked away. “I’m going to get coffee and a pastry. Can I get you anything?”

Neil looked up at him and smiled. “A refill?” He held up his bowl-like coffee cup, the kind the shop liked to use. “It’s just black, no cream or sugar.”

Tieria nodded and took the cup, then walked away. When he was standing in line at the counter, behind a pair of girls talking about the paper they had due in their British Literature course, which neither had started, he glanced back over to his table. Neil was watching him, a considering expression on his face. He smiled when he noticed Tieria looking, then turned back to his work.

Taking a step forward in the line, Tieria shrugged off the consideration. He’d gotten his spot, and Neil didn’t seem unpleasant. It was a win, overall.


End file.
